


We Came, We Saw, We Kicked Its Ass

by plexusfiend



Category: Ghostbusters
Genre: Bad at summaries, F/M, Ghosts, Maybe porn, Reader is of age, Slow Burn, bustin makes me feel good, idk I’m going off the IDW comics here, lots or ghosts, possession????, potential angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2020-03-17 13:55:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 6,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18966598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plexusfiend/pseuds/plexusfiend
Summary: Reader moves away from her home town to start anew! Will she keep her job with the Ghostbusters? Or will she cave under stress?





	1. A Working Interview

**Author's Note:**

> First fic ever to be published. I take constructive criticism. Please be patient as I may not be able to upload regularly.

Jobs were never you forte, and they probably never would be. You moved from (Y/H) to get out of the hell hole (literally) and moved to a different sort of hell hole. New York was insane, bustling, and everything you’ve ever wanted in a home. Though, you wouldn’t have a home for very long if you didn’t find some sort of employment as soon as possible. Not everyone here was willing to give an out-of-stater an internship.  
Hell, they probably thought you were on the run.  
You sighed to yourself, looking up at the once-decrepit firehouse. If THESE guys wouldn’t give you a chance, then absolutely no one in New York would. Resumé in hand, your feet led the way into the building. It wasn’t bad. Actually, it looked pretty professional in a way, though you could do without the sterile smell.  
“Smells like a hospital..” You murmured to yourself, still looking about like a child in a toy store, just less enthusiastic. Was it wonder, or awe? You weren’t sure.  
“Can we help you?” An almost bored sounding woman asked you from behind the reception counter. In an odd way, she was very beautiful. Fiery red hair, and cat-eye glasses. She popped her gum, an expectant look on her face.  
“Oh! Oh, I’m sorry. I’m (Y/N). I wanted to inquire about the job offer in the paper..” You held up your resumé briefly, as if to show you were serious.  
And she seemed surprised by that. “Oh, yeah sure. Gimme just a second. I’ll call Venkman down.”  
Venkman. Right.. Wasn’t he a professor at the local university at some point? Well. Good. You can make a good first impression, hand him your resumé, and go contemplate jumping off the bridge on the way home. God, what were you thinking!? Joining the Ghostbusters!? You’ll be a joke at home, to your friends. To yourself.  
But money is money, and you needed it to make a living. Right, (Y/N), suck it up! Not everyone has clean office jobs!  
The petite receptionist came back with an almost just-as-petite man. Well, you supposed he wasn’t close to her height, but he was definitely shorter than you expected. Somewhat curly hair sat on top of his head, and his expression was that of an exhausted parent. Maybe he was?  
“You must be Dr. Venkman, I’m (Y/N). I was here to get a bit of information on the job listing.” You began, hand outstretched for a sturdy handshake your father taught you for your very first interview.  
“Right, right. What’s your availability,” he began, to which you answered ‘almost every day’. “How much can you lift and carry?”  
“W-well. I can lift about one hundred and twenty pounds.” What kind of work would you actually be- Oh right. The packs.. They must be heavy. Venkman seemed to mull it over, finger over his mouth in a very practiced gesture. “Too small for any of our coveralls, though I guess we’ll have to finagle something. You free tonight then? How do you feel about a working interview.”  
Something about his smile made you nervous. Those expressionless eyes, like he was going to haze you. Because he was. Don’t chicken out. You need this job!! “I would be grateful for the opportunity.” Not even a voice crack. Buy yourself some cupcakes for that one. You’ve earned it. Though, you couldn’t help but wonder what a working interview would entail.. Especially in this field. Would it just be you working the packs and traps? You already knew how to drive.. or did he mean-  
Your thoughts were interrupted by the door slamming open. A stockier man shuffled in, suit covered in.. something unscented but horrendous. In his hands was a smoking trap. “Venkman, who’s this? A client?” The cigarette in his mouth almost entranced you, staying right where it was no matter how he talked.  
“Not a client. This,” he gestured to you, “is our new rookie.”  
And, with almost the same exact smile Venkman wore before, the man smiled. “Rookie, eh? Good to have a fresh face around here. I’m Ray Stantz, nice to meet you.”  
Then came the questions. Do you believe in the paranormal? What about UFOs? Are you familiar with the occult and EVPs? Do you own any occult or haunted or cursed items? Can he see them? What books did you read? Did you listen to any indie bands? What about Oingo Boingo?  
Yes. Yes. Yes and yes. Yes, yes, yes. Sure? B-Books-?  
“You’re gonna break her, Ray. I think that’s enough questions.” Venkman, thankfully, intervened. “Stick around for a while, kid. We’ll have you sit down with the other two, wherever they- Ray, where are Egon and Winston?” His answer was merely a shrug as Ray popped a handful of Cheez-its into his mouth. Maybe these folks weren’t as organized as you originally thought..  
Nearly TWO HOURS later, after some pretty-alright Chinese take-out and decent conversation, two OTHER men arrived. You could only assume these two were Winston and Egon.


	2. Same Glasses?

You stood almost immediately, swallowing the lukewarm Chinese food and straightening your glasses as you did. “Hi! Nice to meet you. I’m (Y/N). Dr Venkman told me I’d be joining everyone on a working interview.” You held your hand out, but regretted it instantly as a sort of.. slimy, sticky substance transferred from the gloves. 

“Winston. Great to meet you. Definitely not what I expected when I heard we were getting a new recruit. Think you got what it takes?” He smiled, the gesture seeming more genuine than the suspicious ones Stantz and Venkman both gave you. 

“I’d definitely like to think so sir.” You smiled, and turned to the tallest man here, noting that you both had almost the same exact pair of glasses. Becoming self-aware (and a little self-conscious), you removed your own. “You must be Dr Spengler?”

The man glanced at your hand before (thankfully) removing a glove to return the gesture. “You’d be correct. I’m assuming Venkman ran through everything with you? Schematics, protocols, supernatural entity organization-“

He continued, and you were lost. You gave Venkman a panicked look because, _no_ , he didn’t explain any of that. “Uh, Egon. We’re gonna just see how she does on the call tonight first before- uh- divulging any sensitive information.”

That answer seemed good enough for him, as he gave a nod that seemed to say _‘okay, that’s fair_ ’ and the first interaction with him was done. 

You wiped your hand on your pants and smiled briefly. This wasn’t so bad. Everyone had their own quirky personality, and you would rather have that over a boring office job any day. Sitting back down, you picked your food back up, and you all continued where you left off. 

“As I was saying, we don’t actually stay here all the time. It’s just really convenient for late night calls. You’ll get your own bed if you stick around and, like Venkman said, we’ll have to get you a few coveralls that fit.” Ray spoke, seeming the most enthusiastic about the job. “We, fortunately, have a spare pack laying around. But it’s mostly just a prototype and a back up if anything goes wrong with ours. Egon and I will work on a new one for you, but for now, you’re stuck with that one.”

P-prototype? That word shouldn’t have scared you as much as it did, but if none of them have died yet, you’re sure you would be in semi-good hands. Peter had the attitude of a dad, in his own way. Ray was like an excited big brother. Winston was a good natured uncle. And Egon, well..

You hummed to yourself in thought, a small noise and barely audible. You didn’t exactly know how to place Egon. What was his personality? He seemed so.. awkward and stiff. Perhaps he just doesn’t like to indulge in conversation with people who may not stick around? Or maybe he just doesn’t like you. Oh no, did you make a bad impression? Was it the handshake?! Stupid, stupid, stupid-!

A hand was snapping in front of your face, and it brought you out of your thoughts. “Welcome back kiddo. You went pretty far away there for a second.” Ray smiled, slight worry in his expression. “Do you usually zone out?”

”Oh.. sorry.. uh. Just thinking. I guess nerves come along with the job right, haha..” 

Venkman laughed heartily. “That’s all it was? Sheesh. We thought you were gonna bore a hole through Egon’s head. Though, after the drill incident-“

”Listen to me Venkman. It would’ve worked if you hadn’t have stopped me.” Egon said as-a-matter-of-factly. 


	3. Slimed For the Very First Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yes. That’s a play on a Madonna song.

With dinner finished and dishes in the sink, you all bid Janine goodbye as the team loaded into the Ecto-1. You just so happened to be excited about this. Sure, the guys may have been a bit weird but.. this was  _the_ Ecto-1. It was as well known as the coveralls. 

Speaking of coveralls, you tied the upper part around your waist. Way too big for you anyway, and if you had to risk getting ectoplasm on you, so be it. “So where exactly are we going?” You asked Egon as he slid into the seat next to you. He seemed to try and give you as much room as possible, squishing himself next to the door. 

“The call came from the Sedgwick hotel. And all four of us know exactly why.” He sighed. “There’s a class 5 full roaming vapor that haunts the building. He’s a nasty little spud.”

”Oh yeah. This thing is disgusting. Harmless, but he’ll slime you as soon as he spots you. Almost like he’s scared of the living as much as they’re scared of him.” Ray said, choosing to leave the sirens off for this visit. After all, the Sedgwick employees were practically regulars at this point  

“Wait.. you’ve caught him before? How does he keep escaping? I mean he can’t be this sneaky can he?”

”Well, you remember the Gozer incident right?” Egon spoke. “That pulse of negative energy sort of shocked the power grid and let out all the ghosts we’ve already captured. So. We’ve agreed to go around to the haunted buildings and recapture them free of charge. To Peter’s dismay.” 

Understandably so. You’re sure it takes a lot of money to run the equipment. But good for them for keeping their word. You were also relieved, and slightly delighted, that they’d take you on an easier call. One that they knew like the back of their hand. 

Though, you were still stared at by passers-by. Of course you would be. A new face? How dare you exist and need money?! “Right. I’m assuming he’s tormenting the ballrooms again?” Venkman’s words broke you from your thoughts. “Don’t worry about it. Ray, Winston? You guys check the room and board areas on the south side. I’ll check the ballrooms. Egon? Take the recruit and check the staff rooms and kitchens.”

And you all broke apart. “Don’t antagonize it! If it sees you, don’t even acknowledge it! You’ll be fine!” Ray called over his shoulder as Egon led the way. Right.. don’t antagonize and don’t acknowledge..

 

You were so screwed. “So uh.. he’s harmless right? Does that mean there are harmful ones? I’m only assuming.. since y’know. People get possessed a lot.” Was that a dumb question?

”You’d be surprised at how many times we’ve researched a possessed individual only to find out they took a bunch of Percocet.” Oh. “But you would be correct in one aspect.” Oh! “There are harmful spirits out there. And they do end up possessing people. Which is what we also try and prevent. It isn’t just about haunted buildings or cursed objects.”

”Of course. I mean I didn’t expect this to be easy-“

“(Y/N).” He interrupted.

“There’s a lot about the paranormal and supernatural that we don’t know-“

“(Y/N) quit moving.”

”What? Why?” You turned around and noticed it at the end of the hall. A floating specter, about the size of a human torso, was ominously staring you down. Right. You acknowledged it. Only option now is to not antagonize it. “Okay.. how do I not piss it off.” You whispered, proton wand clutched in my hand. 

“That’s the issue. We don’t really know.” He said, taking a few steps back back to hide in the small cubby of a doorway. “Sorry.”

Sorry? Why- The lime-green blob let out a gurgling screech as it darted towards you. Legs kicked out from under you, you landed hard on the pack settled between the floor and your back. “Oh- oh shit..” You breathed, feeling disgusting. “He- That damn thing slimed me!”


	4. Don’t Stand So Close To Me

Spengler came around to pull you up, even going so far as to help you steady your balance. “Yeah.. that’s happened to all of us.” He spoke, removing a particularly thick chunk of ectoplasm from your bare shoulder. 

Your hair was flattened by the residue, dripping with it. “Should’ve worn the full coveralls.” You both said at the same time, which caused a small fit of giggles to escape your chest. At least you were having fun.

And that seemed to put his mind at ease. You were laughing about it. That means you were either in hysterics, or you would stick around as long as fate would allow. Egon was about to speak before then walkie talkie on his shoulder went off. “Guys?” Venkman spoke. “He found the buffet.”

”Of course he did.” Egon sighed through his nose, retrieving the PKE meter from his belt. “Stand still. I just wanna see if it reacts differently to women.”

”Huh?” 

“Well, it’s only ever slimed men. Ectoplasm is unstable and reacts to different stimuli.” And while the PKE certainly went off, there were no different spikes than there would be with any of them. “Nothing. How interesting.. perhaps he’s truly a neutral entity. Right. No more stalling. Let’s go find Peter.”

Ectoplasm was oddly cold, and chills had begun to erupt on your upper body. “Can’t wait to shower after this..” You murmured to yourself. Let’s bust this gross little bastard so you can get back to the firehouse and get to bed. Despite not having one- whatever! Unfortunately, by the time you’d arrived downstairs and to the ballroom, the other three had already trapped him. “Aw man.. I really wanted to see this.” You skewed your mouth.

”Seems to me like you’ve already seen most of it. Surprised I wasn’t the one slimed this time.” Venkman said, retrieving the trap. “Here. You can carry it.”

Lucky you. The trap trembled beneath the gentle grip you had on it. Was he trying to escape? Or was it simply shaking due to nerves?

 

The ride back was a long one. Or it felt like it was long. Maybe because you were horribly uncomfortable. “Still alright rookie? No weird fuzzy feelings in your head? No tingling or burning?”

”Is it supposed to burn?” You asked, hopping out of the car once it was parked. 

“No. But spirits react differently to each living person. Who knows what can happen.” Ray said. “It’s pretty intense. I got hypnotized by a painting once. And Egon got possessed by a- um- what was it, a Mediterranean ghost?”

”Atlantean.” Egon corrected. “But pretty much the same thing.”

”And then Peter’s ex-girlfriend got possessed by a- well- basically a giant bulldog with mange and horns.”

A bulldog.. with mange and horns..? That’s so familiar to you.. but why? Often times you had dreams, sometimes premonitions but.. “The dog.. was it named Zuul?”

And that little question seemed to only open up another can of worms. “How did you know that..” Peter asked, suddenly losing his lax and lackadaisy attitude. “No one knew that except for us and the other two parties involved.”

“I- well- I h-have dreams sometimes and- I thought it was just gonna be some stupid coincidence but-“ You were interrupted again. 

“You’ve dreamed about Zuul? What else?” Egon asked, the air suddenly really heavy in the room. 

“That’s all, I’m afraid. I’ve just dreamed about Zuul.. not even Gozer. Just- just Zuul. I mean sometimes I’ll dream about something and it’ll happen. And one time I had a dream about a pumpkin-headed monster wearing a long brown cloak, but nothing other than that.”

”How intriguing.. it wouldn’t be the first time an individual visiting New York has proven to have some sort of paranormal skill. Most just overlook it.” Ray concluded. “You might be more useful than we thought.”

”Say, uh, what apartment number did you list on your application again?” Venkman asked, fingers grasping his chin. 

“550. Central Park West. Why?”

They all collectively nodded, making noises of agreement and understanding. “Trust me rook. We’ll fill you in on everything.”

And yet, for the rest of the night, they spoke in hushed voices. Peter mentioned something about your new apartment, Egon would give a nod. Perhaps you were paranoid and they were just discussing your working interview.

“Alright new girl. I’ll show you to the showers. There’s some towels already in there, though don’t expect any girly smelling shampoo. None of us ever had to stock up on it.” Winston joked, lightening the mood a little. “You’ll also have to be careful. The door on the right doesn’t lock, but the one on the left does.” He led you upstairs, past the larger bunking room. “You can throw your coveralls in the wash there. Janine has a spare sweater and a spare pair of jeans she’s gonna let you borrow.”

Bless that beautiful woman. You owe her your life. “Thanks, I appreciate it.” And when he left, your mind continued to race. “Shit.. which door was the one that locked..? The right one?” That sounded about right..

Clicking the lock to, you stripped out of the still sticky coveralls. Seems that stuff doesn’t ever really dry up. Your socks and bra followed suit, soaking up the detergent laced water. You weren’t really sure what to do with your underwear.. You’re sure you’d have to at least hang these up until you-

The doorknob turned, and you immediately covered your chest with your arms. Panic and embarrassment flooded your veins, leaving them a bit icy compared to your hot cheeks. “W-Wait I locked the wrong-!”

But it was too late. You were face to face with Spengler, body turned slightly to make sure you weren’t absolutely, 100% flashing the poor man. 

“Oh shit.” He practically slammed the door shut as fast as he came in.

Right. Instead of contemplating jumping from the bridge, why don’t you go ahead and do it?


	5. The Gray Lady

The past few days flowed like clockwork. Call. Trap. Sleep. Repeat. And honestly? You enjoyed every bit of it. You got along well with everyone, and although Egon and you had a pretty awkward start, he was coming around as well. 

You think what helped was the fact that both of you completely pretended like the incident never happened. An excellent coping mechanism! Out of sight, out of mind! “So why do you collect spores and mushrooms?” You asked since he never gave an answer before. 

“There’s a high chance it’ll be the food of the future. And it’s not mushrooms. It’s fungus. Though I guess you aren’t wrong, since mushrooms are classified under fungi.” He explained, fiddling with the toaster again. You were almost scared to ask what exactly it was that he was doing. 

“Interesting.. I’m assuming you’ve calculated just how high the chance would be.” You sat back, legs crossing out of habit as you reached for the can of second can of Pringle’s the two of you destroyed in the small thirty minute window. “Have you tried growing an experimental garden?”

”I’ve thought about it. Though I haven’t put any of it into motion. Too busy. Too many things come up.”

A pregnant pause filled the air between you and with your growing tension, nervous fidgeting followed. This was about last week wasn’t it? He was going to fire you, that’s why he’d been acting so nice lately! Just trying to lessen the blow. 

“(Y/N), there’s something the others and I want to ask, but we aren’t exactly sure how to go about it. Would you let us inspect your new apartment?”

Huh? That was it? “I’m assuming you mean with the PKE meter right?”

He cursed under his breath. “Yes, with the PKE. Peter’s ex used to live there and she too had an experience with Zuul, albeit a little more physical than yours. Ever since you mentioned your dreams about it, we’ve all been a bit paranoid..”

”Oh. Yeah sure, I don’t mind. It’s a little messy but whatever. But Zuul has never actually shown her face. Just a few glimpses in dreams.”

”Lets hope it stays that way..”

 

His sincerity towards the situation was almost alarming. Sure, Egon was a serious man, but this was something different. “Look.. if you feel like you need to enlighten me on something, the floor is yours. You just.. seem really bothered by something.”

Egon slammed the ghost toaster down, causing you to flinch. “I am bothered! We worked so hard! We worked through blood, sweat, and tears to put Gozer in her- his- to put it in its place! Now some little rookie comes into our lives and suddenly the damn terror dogs are making more appearances! We’re ALL bothered!”

The only thing you could do was swallow. This was a completely new side of the man you never knew existed. This really _was_ bothering him. “I- I um..” Another hard swallow. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-“

”Don’t. Don’t apologize.” A heavy sigh left this chest, and his hands ran over his face. “I’m the one that should be apologizing. Forgive me, I usually don’t let my temper show, but I am only human.” Bottle everything up enough and anyone would snap. 

“I- I mean I’m glad that it’s just that. Thought I was getting fired for accidentally flashing a superior.”

Egon straightened and in return, you echoed the gesture. “I-“ You stood. “I just remembered that I have to.. get my birth certificate for a thing.. yeah.” 

“Well that’s gonna have to wait.” Ray’s determined voice sounded off behind you. “We got a call for the library and we are NOT passing this up!”

What was so special about the library? 

“You’re sure it’s her?”

Her?

”Positive! She’s back! (Y/N)! Suit up. You’re about to meet the very reason we formed the Ghostbusters.” You’d never seen Ray like this. He was so fired up, like nothing at all could stop him. 

 

And damn, were you right. He weaved through traffic, sirens blaring as he made full use of the Ecto-1’s abilities. 

“Ray.” Peter spoke calmly, despite being terrified of his friend’s driving. “We won’t be able to show the recruit our old friend if we DIE IN TRAFFIC.”

”I’m sorry! I’m just ready to finally end this! Once and for all!”

Another sharp swerve threw you into Egon’s lap, and threw him into the car door. And threw Winston into your side. It was a clusterfuck in the back seat, and you envied Venkman in his coveted shotgun seat. The bastard. “Are we almost there?” You asked, trying your best not to touch any personal area on Spengler. Though you did have to push yourself up, and settled for the seat between his knees over his thigh. “Sorry.” You whispered, straightening yourself once the car stopped. 

“Almost. Just 37 steps to the doorway of the building.”

Your eyes involuntarily rolled as he exited the car. Like a child in a candy store. “Try not to make any noises. Any noise higher than 20 decibels upsets her.” Stantz explained.

Peter, Winston and yourself all looked to Egon to explain Ray’s suggestion. “20 decibels is a human whisper. Meaning she’s a librarian and she’s only really okay with hushed tones. We found that out the hard way.”

You felt like you should’ve expected that answer.

 

 

The boys led you downstairs, the lower archive level was usually where she frequented. It was obvious. Stacks of books, strewn cards, even fried computers littered the hallways. 

“Stick close to someone.” Egon murmured. “Just because we’ve never been injured by her doesn’t mean she hasn’t tried.”

 

Well that was ominous. You nodded once to him, and did as he asked; you stuck to him like glue. The temperature was dropping rapidly, the chills on your skin and slight fog of your breath were given facts of that. You weren’t just nervous. No.. this was a negative haunt..

“She’s angry about something..” You whispered into his back. “Maybe instead of trapping her, we could just ask-“ Suggestion interrupted by his pace coming to a halt, you were about to angrily ask what the hell he was doing.

But then you noticed her. Beautiful, regal Eleanor Twitty. A fully formed floating apparition. Your heart skipped a beat..

Your voice fought against your ribs, wanting so desperately to escape and call out to the wondrous woman in front of the two of you. But Ray’s advice echoed in your mind. He’s right. Don’t antagonize her.. Even Egon didn’t take the PKE out. It was too loud, and you both knew it. 

Maybe a different approach then..

You carefully, quietly stepped up to the woman, fearing even your heartbeat would be too loud for her. “Excuse me miss..” you whispered as softly as you could. “I’m looking for a book.. but I can’t seem to find it. Would you be able to help?”

And then the most spectacular thing happened..

The Gray Lady turned to you, nodded, and gestured for you to follow.  


	6. Something Borrowed, Something... Cursed?

Egon was speechless, mouth agape and wide eyed. She’d made nonviolent contact with the very ghost they thought it was impossible with. The question is.. 

Where was she taking them?

You looked back at him and he nodded, brow furrowed in slight tension. Maybe discomfort. It was a very unsafe situation. Sure. You had the packs, but there was an arsenal of things she could throw at you. Books. Cabinets. Glass. Computer monitors. 

She led you both even lower, temperature decreasing more and more with each staircase. “You ever been this far..?”

He shook his head at you, Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed down whatever concern he had. “No.. didn’t even know these levels existed.. We’re below basement by two levels. Just how far does it go?”

Your voices were whispers as you did your best not to annoy her, and you seemed to be doing fine. The Gray Lady stopped in front of an oddly placed wall and then passed through it. 

“There has to be a way in..” Egon said, hands searching over the bricks as if one of them would open a passage. While he wasn’t far off, it was a book that did the trick. An odd one stuck out of the bookshelf next to him and upon pulling it, the bricks fell away. 

“I can’t believe this.” Egon said, almost agitated at the silliness of the situation. A trap door. In a library? It’s preposterous. “Look.. it’s an entire room..”

 

You filed in behind him, listening to his PKE go off the closer you both got to the center. Remains sat in the chair, clutching a book that was in a language you'd never seen. It almost seemed fake. “Is that..”

”It’s her..”

So you were both on the same page. “It’s like she wanted us to come back.. I think.. I think she wants us to take that book. It’s just a feeling..” You stepped closer, cautious and slow as if something would jump out at you. She led you here for a reason..

”It.. looks like a Codex of some sort.” He spoke softly, still respectful of the librarians wishes. “Wait.. that-“

A word stuck out to him, causing him to step closer. “That’s Sumerian.. this is a Gozerian Codex..” Egon shook his head, falling back a few steps. No no no. This can’t be right. They already sent Gozer back to wherever it came from. Why is it making another appearance? 

“You ok..?” He seemed to snap out of it and met your gaze with an almost fearful one. 

“Let’s take the book and leave.. somethings not right.”

Maybe this whole Gozer thing went far deeper than the four- now five- of them originally imagined. 

 

Egon mentally thanked the restless librarian and led the way back up. The desolate lower sections of the old library made him anxious. He was blocked in and the anxiety he thought he swallowed a long time ago wanted to bubble under his skin. He was actually shaking, sweating as he remembered what they dealt with a year ago. Sure.. it may seem comedic. A giant Stay Puft stomping around the city in a Godzilla-like fashion. But to them, it was life or death. They could’ve been stepped on, suffocated, eaten, burned to death. Hell Gozer could’ve killed them on the spot. But it just wanted to toy with them.

He seemed light headed, realizing he wasn’t taking in enough oxygen. Oh shit, this was a full blown panic attack.

“Egon!” Your voice cried out to him, catching him as he stumbled over. “Hey! Stay with me! What’s wrong?!”

Temporarily searching his torso, your hands found what they were looking for- a walkie  talkie. 

“Uh Dr Venkman!? We have a huge problem!”


	7. Placebo

“Problem? As in like a ghost problem, an I’m trapped problem, an I’m slimed problem, or an Egon problem?” He answered immediately. 

“Definitely an Egon problem!” You said, not knowing how to help. You’ve had panic attacks of your own sure. But you always just waited for them to pass. You felt a little useless, kneeled over his hunched form. 

“Tell me where you are and I’ll be there ASAP.”

 

And he kept his promise. It only took him about seven minutes to locate you both. It’s happened before, you assumed, because Venkman knew exactly what to say and how to get Egon semi-back. Enough to stand up anyway. 

It makes sense, you not knowing what to do. Because what can anyone do if they weren’t there to see what these four have? Everyone thought they were jokes, thought they were crazy. You’re learning quickly that they aren’t. 

Turning back to the dark stairwell, you sighed and resituated the codex before following them out. 

 

Ray, of course, was astounded that you’d made contact with the deceased woman. And he was even more hype about the codex you’d been gifted. “We can decode this, figure out everything we need to know to prevent this crazy bitch from ever coming back! It’s perfect! Who knew The Gray Lady had the key all along?”

It was good news, especially since they could take precautions to stop Gozer. But.. that was the least of your worries. You were currently focused on how Egon was. Was he feeling any better at all? Should you talk to him? You didn’t know how to assess the situation..

”Hey kid. You did good calling for backup.” Peter spoke up. “Never be afraid to ask us for help. Especially in the situation you found yourself in. May not seem like it, but that whole Gozer thing took a toll on all of us, not just Egon.”

You glanced at your feet, chewing your lip. He decided to continue. “I’m also sure you’ve noticed that Egon has the hardest time conveying his emotions. He’s a good guy. Just has some social issues is all. Don’t take it personally.”

His words made you feel somewhat better and you decided that, yes, you’d see how Spengler was doing. With a quick nod to Peter, you excused yourself upstairs.

 

He sat there in silence, watching the traffic pass by on the street below. His glasses sat on the windowsill next to him, as well as a book. 

You took a quick breath before speaking. “Hey. I uh.. just wanted to see how you were feeling.”

Egon didn’t turn to look at you, but he did answer. “Tired I guess. But better. I should thank you, for not leaving me there.”

”I don’t think I could do that to someone. Especially not you guys. I mean.. you’ve all been very accommodating and patient with me. The least I could do is stick by you when you’re down.” You reasoned. “Hell. If it weren’t for y’all, I’d probably be homeless.”

He finally turned to you, a confused expression on his face. “Y’all?” Was the only word he echoed. 

“Oh.. uh.. Habit.” You typically hid your accent well. But, sometimes it slipped out. 

His gaze scrutinized you a moment, mind calculating just where in the US you could be from. “Georgia?”

A good guess, but he was wrong. You smiled sweetly. “Close, but no cigar.”


	8. Hurricane Drunk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It rained so terribly hard today. A friend inspired me to make this chapter!

A few days had passed, everything seemingly went back to normal. That included Egon. The panic attack fiasco never happened, and he was back to his old, semi-too personal self! 

Except this time, you were the one to panic. A peculiar call had you all going to the Sedgwick (yet again) to investigate a.. fisherman..? Interesting.. You’d grown accustomed to the easy ghosts. The ones who weren’t tricky or scary enough to run you off. 

But this one was insanely smart.. and he knew a secret about you. 

You’d mentioned to the boys before that you were terrified of water. Showers and baths were fine. But oceans, lakes, even some rivers. Those were the ones that scared you. And it’s not the stuff below the surface that your mind so desperately wanted you to keep away from. 

It was the thought of drowning, being crushed under the weight of all that water. 

Once again, thanks to Ray, you found yourself paired with Egon. At first you assumed they’d always split into twos. Turns out Egon just goes off by himself, too many accidents, too many complications. 

Were you a babysitter? No. 

But yes. 

 

“Remember.. we don’t know what this entity can actually do yet. Be careful and don’t engage it without calling us all for back up.” Ray explained, knowing his words were going over your heads.

You both needed to pay better attention. 

“Sure thing. We’ll notify you if anything happens.” You said, offering a sweet smile and a thumbs up to soothe his nerves. 

That only made it worse. 

 

“So what signs are we looking for? My PKE isn’t picking anything up.. starting to think this was a prank call..” You murmured to him, watching as he put his own PKE away with a sigh.

“You might be right. I hoped you wouldn’t have to be subject to such childish things yet, but I suppose it’s better to get used to it early on.” He said, adjusting his glasses. “Cmon. We can at least check out the upper levels before deciding to call it a night.”

Your heart thumped rhythmically in your chest. Stairs. Those were your favourite, especially if Spengler was the one leading the way. 

You couldn’t help it! His ass was right there and you just had to look! “Lead the way then..” You managed a hesitant tone, hoping he’d take the bait. 

And he did. “Right. Follow me. The Sedgwick’s pretty big. Wouldn’t want you getting lost just yet.”

Yes!

 

Up two flights already and you still haven’t found anything. No reading. No floating items. No ectoplasm. Nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada. 

“I’m guessing you were right. Must’ve just been-“ He paused, noticing a small stream of water pouring from the current floor. “Or not..”

It started as a light trickle, then a steady stream, and before you knew it, the stairs were collapsing under you. Egon grabbed your hand, pulling you to the safety of the fourth floor. You clung to him, not wanting to let go until you were safely away from the edge. “T-the Sedgwick is old but.. but not that old-! Right?!” You asked him, tensing a bit when he rested a hand on your shoulder. 

“The stairs shouldn’t have collapsed. A high end hotel like this? They’re too structured. Too secure.” Spengler rambled a bit, mostly to himself but sort of to you too. “Keep close.. just in case another cave in happens..”

He didn’t have to ask you twice. You held onto the sleeve of his coveralls the whole time, and the waters been steadily rising. “I- I don’t like this.. something’s wrong.”

You both paused upon hearing it, a faint rush of water growing even louder. “Oh sh-” A wall of water cut your words off, flooding the entire hallway from floor to ceiling. The lights were shorted out, and your world went black. 

Panic flooded your veins in an icy onslaught as you fought to surface. You didn’t know up from down, and it seemed to last an eternity before the water receded enough for you to stand. 

Spengler snatched you up out of the water, holding you to him while you caught your breath. “Y-you’re okay? That was- incredible. I haven’t seen anything like that yet. A dimensional rift tore through our world.. how fascinating.” As fascinating as protonically charged seawater could be. You kicked a sea cucumber away in your hysteria. You hated those things!

Here you are, rib deep in choppy, freezing water that seemed to be never ending. You knew you were touched the floor beneath you, but why couldn’t you see it? How deep did it go..

”(Y/N). You doin’ alright?” Egon asked, watching you frantically look around for a way out. Perhaps you suffered from Thalassaphobia, or something similar. 

The expression you held, it was definitely panic. His grasp was gentler this time as he pulled you towards him. “Take a breath, and try to ground yourself. This is just a paranormal effect. Just a trick.”

A trick.. right. Just something trying to scare you off. You nodded after a moment, a faint gesture but one that was definitely there. You hugged him tight, eyes winced shut as you tried to do what he suggested. Just ground yourself. 

He wanted to radio Venkman, to send you back down to wait in the car. It almost- no- it definitely pained him to see you like this. But sending you down? Egon was almost certain you’d hate him for it. He opted for a different solution. He wrapped an arm around your back, his free hand resting on the back of your head, chin nestled on your hair. It was foreign to him, but welcome in a way. “Do you want to keep going?” It’s better to just ask you. 

Once you nodded and began to pull away, he let go. 


	9. F is for..

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well.. I’ll let you determine the word

You eventually found your nerves again, though still made uncomfortable by the angry water. It even smelled like the sea. You felt things swimming around your waist, something nipping at your boots.   
  


It’s all a trick. Just the spirit trying to toy with you. And boy was it working. You watched Egon test the walkie talkie again, and still no results aside from static. “Waterlogged..” He murmured.   
You briefly wondered how the others were faring. Did they get bodied by an entire ocean? Or merely the aftershock from the floor you’re on.   
  


You felt bad, being uncharacteristically quiet. It’s not that you didn’t want to engage in conversation, but you were likely in shock. 

“Feeling okay champ? Still with us?” Egon asked, his hair finally drying a bit. You responded with a single nod, adjusting the heavy back on your bruised shoulders. “‘M good..” 

The coral and barnacles grew around you as you passed, a soft glow coming from them. Certain hallways were blocked off, as if the hotel was leading you to the offending energy. Eventually, a clearing was presented to the both of you, double doors acting as a barrier between the ghost and your safety.

The PKE was going wild, and Egon looked at you with a furrowed brow. “You don’t have to go in.” After all, you looked like you were somewhere else. Would you be able to do this long-term? What if you quit after this? He was making himself a bit nervous. 

Once again, you shifted your pack and nodded. “Not gonna make you do it alone.” After all, an entire ocean hit you both at once. What would happen if it was only one of you? This ghost is clearly dangerous. The two of you needed to stick together to ensure each other’s safety.   
  
A small, relieved sigh escaped his chest. Maybe you still had it in you. “I’d offer to wait for the others, but if the stairs are still out, we may be out of luck.” Well, then you’ll both just have to make it work. Your hand reached for the doorknob, a slight tingling sensation worked it’s was to your skin, even through your glove.

The inside was a wreck, much like the hallways, but colder. The water felt worse here, heavier, angrier. Fish carcasses floated above your head, as if they were swimming.   
  


Egon soon stood beside you, PKE in hand. It was a game of hide and seek at first.. You have to actually find the specter before it’d make its move. “Anything?” “Not really.. a faint reading.. back corner.” You followed his gaze before taking a few waddles towards the back. Stupid water. 


End file.
